GRACE NOTES: Tuesday, August 18, 2020

 

Today’s Highlights:

Nothing today

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  Video: “Stars in the House,” with guest host Andréa Burns, and special guest Alex Lacamoire.   (1:01:44)

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 The Seth Concert Series has announced its upcoming concerts, all at 8 PM ET here (and repeating at 3 PM ET the day after):

Aug. 23 & 24: Rachel Bay Jones
Aug. 30 & 31: Sierra Boggess
Sept. 6 & 7: Karen Olivo
Sept. 13 & 14: Jeremy Jordan

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  on Josh Groban‘s new album and concerts:

* “Harmony” album will be released in Nov. Nov. 26, with a celebration concert that night at 4 PM ET here, with a 2nd showing at 8 PM ET. here (beginning Aug. 25).

* Virtual Concert “Tour,” with 3 new intimate concerts filmed in-person. The 1st concert will be streamed Oct. 3 at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT.  Trailer here. (beginning Aug. 25)

* Holiday Concert (Dec. 19 at 4 PM ET). Tix here (beginning Aug. 25)

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  Article: “Paula Vogel: Crisis is Always an Opportunity for Change” 

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  New York City Opera has announced 2 productions in Spring 2021:

* The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (dates TBA), world premiere by Ricky Ian Gordon & Michael Korie, a staged concert presentation. directed & choreographed by Richard Stafford.  An Italian-Jewish family during the onset of World War II.

* The Central Park Five (dates TBA), staged concert presentation, by Anthony Davis & Richard Wesley. Inspired by the 1989 incident that led to the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of 5 young Black and Latino men.

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   A discussion about Howard Ashman will take place Wed. Aug. 19 at 6 PM ET here, hosted by Joanna Robinson.

Alan Menken, Paige O’Hara, Jodie Benson, Bill Lauch, and Sarah Gillespie.

A candid discussion about the life and creative force of a man who helped make some of the most beloved family musicals of all time. Covering his formative years in New York and his creation of other musicals like Little Shop of Horrors with some of Ashman’s closest collaborators and friend.

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  MetropolitanZOOM presents the premiere of the Michael Colby & Ned Paul Ginsburg original musical, The Theatre Will Survive on Mon. Aug. 31 at 7 PM ET, in support of The Actors Fund, followed by a Q&A.

Christine Andreas, Sarah Uriarte Berry, Christina Bianco, Chuck Cooper, Robert Cuccioli, Marc De La Cruz, George Dvorsky, Anita Gillette, Jason Graae, Ann Harada, Leah Hocking, Richard Jay-Alexander, Judy Kaye, Jeff Keller, Eddie Korbich, Michael McCormick, N’Kenge, Barry Pearl, Gabriella Pizzolo, Stephanie Pope, Faith Prince, Courtney Reed, T. Oliver Reid, Steve Rosen, Jennifer Sanchez, Analise Scarpaci, Tony Sheldon, Ryan Silverman and Paulo Szot.

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  VideoJim Caruso’s Cast Party, with music direction by Billy Stritch, and special guests Robert Creighton, Marty Thomas, Jelani Remy, Pam Tillis, Eve Plumb and Liam Forde.  (1:51:58)

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  Kimberly Faye Greenberg’s Fabulous Fanny will be available to stream:

Aug. 22 (8 PM ET)
Aug. 30 (8 PM ET)
Sept. 4 (9 PM ET)
Sept. 12 (6 PM ET)

here

Fabulous Fanny brings the Roaring 20’s back with a bang for a live theatre experience right in your own home. Enjoy classic show tunes, good old-fashioned fun, and hilarity, as we travel through time with Fanny Brice, the legendary Jewish comedienne, Ziegfeld Follies/Broadway star, recording artist, and film actress extraordinaire.

  Trailer

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  Casting has been announced for Arts Brookfield & Thomas M. Neff’s Theatre for One: Here We Are, to run every Thursday at 6 PM ET from Aug. 20 – Sept. 24.   will be available here on Mondays at 10 AM ET prior to that week’s Thursday performance. Audience members will be able to sign up for specific time slots during the performance window and will be randomly assigned which microplay they see the evening of the performance.

The new musicals brings together one actor and one audience member for a one-of-a-kind intimate theatrical experience.

* Thank You For Coming, by Stacey Rose, directed by Candis C. Jones, starring Patrice Bell.

 * What Are The Things I Need To Remember, by Lynn Nottage, directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene, starring Aiesha Davis.

* Pandemic Fight, by Carmelita Tropicana, directed by Rebecca Martinez, starring Zuleyma Guevara.

* Here We Are, by Nikkole Salter, directed by Tamilla Woodard, starring Russell G. Jones.

* Thank You Letter, world premiere by Jaclyn Backhaus, directed by Candis C. Jones, starring Mahira Kakkar.

 * Before America Was America, by DeLanna Studi, directed by Tamilla Woodard, starring Shyla Lefner.

 * whiterly negotiations, by Lydia R. Diamond, directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene, starring Mikkole Salter.

* Vote! (the black album), written by & starring Regina Taylor, directed by Taylor Reynolds.

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Musical Theatre West‘s Keep the Lights On concert will take place Fri. Aug. 27 at 7 PM PT.

David Engle, Larry Raben, and Bets Malone.

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  Paul Rudnick’s “Coastal Elites” will premiere Sept. 12 on HBO Max, directed by Jay Roach. The series was produced entirely under quarantine.

Bette Midler, Kaitlyn Dever, Dan Levy, Sarah Paulson, and Issa Rae.

An array of characters from New York to Los Angeles cope with politics and the pandemic.

  Video: Trailer

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  Hollywood’s Blank Theatre has announced casting for Week 3 of its 28th Annual Young Playwrights Festival, to stream as digital shorts on Vimeo Aug. 22-29.

* Nuclear, by Elizabeth Shannon, directed by Laura Stribling, features, Madison McLaughlin, Jamie McRae, and Sophia Unger.  It the end of the world, and three sisters spend their last 15 minutes comforting each other.

* God on Vacation, by Brigitte Boisson, directed by Constance Zimmer, featuring Deborah S. Craig, Matthew Scott Montgomery, Zeke Nicholson, Jen Richards, and Ptolemy Slocum. When God goes on vacation, angels Gabriel and Michael are left in charge and make a bit of a mess of things.

* China Doll in Lavender, by J. Xiang, directed by Kate Jopson, Osric Chau, Jessica Lu, and Angela Zhou. Walking backward in time through a dream, Rachel learns secrets about her Asian-American ancestors that help unlock who she really is today.

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  The Theatre Will Survive — A Benefit for The Actors Fund, by Michael Colby & Ned Paul Ginsburg, will stream on Zoom on Mon. Aug. 31 at 7 PM ET here, with videography by Michael Yesion.  here.

 Chuck Cooper,  Judy Kaye, Faith Prince, Paulo Szot, Christine Andreas, Sarah Uriarte Berry, Christina Bianco, Robert Cuccioli, Marc De la Cruz, George Dvorsky, Anita Gillette, Jason Graae, Ann Harada, Leah Hocking, Richard Jay-Alexander, Jeff Keller, Eddie Korbich, Michael McCormick, N’Kenge, Barry Pearl, Gabriella Pizzolo, Stephanie Pope, Courtney Reed, T. Oliver Reid, Steve Rosen, Jennifer Sanchez, Analise Scarpaci, Tony Sheldon, and Ryan Silverman.

Viewers will be able to submit questions via the Zoom chat function following the video’s debut.

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  Off-Broadway’s Rattlestick Playwrights Theater offers a free benefit concert presentation of Em Weinstein & Emily Johnson-Erday’s SOLDIERGIRLS on Mon. Aug. 31 at 7 PM ET, in support of SPART*A (Service Members, Partners, Allies for Respect and Tolerance for All).

 Jenn Colella, Lilli Cooper, Chilina Kennedy, Ezra Menas, Melanie Field, Jessie Shelton, Anna Crivelli, Danielle Chaves, Hannah Van Sciver, and Madeleine Barker.

The two-person musical uses real letters and a collage of found and origianl text to examine love, liberation, and lesbianism in the Women’s Army Corps in World War II, and features a mix of scenes, songs, and duets interspersed with conversations about the show with its creators as well as a presentation of research and original artwork by costume designer Sophia Choi, set designer Stephanie Cohen, and dramaturg Rebecca Adelsheim.

 

 

 


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